Below are the names of writers who are currently active. For others, living and deceased, please type their name into the search box above the masthead on our home page, www.sdjewishworld.com
By Rabbi Michael Leo Samuel CHULA VISTA, California — Once upon a time, some American tourists went to Mexico on a vacation; they toured some hot springs, where they saw the natives washing their clothes! One tourist said to his guide, “My, isn’t it wonderful how Mother Nature provides her children with hot water to wash […]
Mindfulness and the Art of Thanksgiving Read More »
Michael Leo Samuel-Rabbi, USA
Why be Jewish? by Doron Kornbluth, Mosaica Press, 2011, ISBN 0-9814974-7-0; 312 pages, price not listed. By Donald H. Harrison SAN DIEGO–As a reader I found myself reacting both negatively and positively to this book. Why negatively? Because after reading the first paragraph of the acknowledgements, I knew that much of what I would read
Why tell made-up stories about being Jewish? Read More »
Donald H. Harrison
By Donald H. Harrison SAN DIEGO — Many of us have seen the previews– or in some cases the actual television episodes — of The Biggest Loser in which very heavy people, through diet and exercise, compete to shed the most weight. The TV show–complete with tears and hugs of those who have transformed their
Comedy explores serious subject of body image Read More »
Donald H. Harrison
Flags over the Warsaw Ghetto: The Untold Story of the Warsaw Ghetto Uprising by Moshe Arens, Geffen Publishing House, 406 pages including index and appendices, ISBN 9652295279978, price not listed. By Donald H. Harrison SAN DIEGO–Given Moshe Arens’ credentials as a serious student of world affairs, who had served both as defense minister and as
Has history been fair to ALL the Warsaw Ghetto defenders? Read More »
Donald H. HarrisonBy Rabbi Michael Leo Samuel CHULA VISTA, California — One of Erich Fromm’s most penetrating insights pertains to his distinction between authoritarian vs. humanistic religion. Fromm’s You Shall Be as Gods: A Radical Interpretation of the Old Testament and Its Tradition is one of the most remarkable books I have ever read on the early
Healing our dysfunctional images of God Read More »
Jewish Religion, Michael Leo Samuel-Rabbi
By Dorothea Shefer-Vanson MEVASSERET ZION, Israel – Reading the recent review of the Chula Vista production of the play, The Diary of Anne Frank, I was taken back twenty-five years, to the year I spent in Lincoln, Nebraska, where my husband was teaching at the University. The Cliff’s Notes publisher of booklets intended to
The Via Dolorosa of Anne Frank Read More »
Dorothea Shefer-Vanson
Melanie Rubin never fails to spot a Jewish-interest license plate. As “18” is the numeric equivalent of the Hebrew word “chai” (life), we can think of this license plate as reading “Chai David!”
Jewish-interest license plate: 18 David Read More »
Jewish Religion, Melanie RubinTeenagers Educated The Village Way by Chaim Peri, The World: The Values Network, 2011, ISBN 978-257-06206-5, 217 pages, $18. By Donald H. Harrison SAN DIEGO — In challenging numerous orthodoxies, this book is likely to make readers think and educators and psychologists re-think. Peri, longtime headmaster of the Yemin Orde school and youth village on
It takes a village? Book tells Israeli village’s methods for helping troubled teens Read More »
Donald H. Harrison
By Donald H. Harrison CHULA VISTA, California — I’d have expected my grandson Shor to relate most closely to either the characters of Peter Van Daan (Mitchell Pfitzmeier), Anne Frank (Lucia Vecchio), or Margot Frank (Rachel Throesch) as he watched the play, The Diary of Anne Frank at the Onstage Playhouse because Shor
For another generation learning Anne Frank’s story, Otto inspires admiration Read More »
Carol Davis, Donald H. Harrison, San Diego County, Theatre, Film & BroadcastGallahad’s Quest by Dixon Arnett, Xlibris, 2011, ISBN 978-1-4653-5707-6, 342 pages, Price Unlisted. By Donald H. Harrison SAN DIEGO–Gallahad’s Quest is a political thriller without sex, without domestic violence, without dramatic surprises. It’s a thriller without thrills. Yet there is a point. If you happen to be a wonk who loves the political process — or
When three nice guys run for President Read More »
Donald H. Harrison
By Donald H. Harrison SAN DIEGO — Anyone who has ever confused “Veterans Day” with “Memorial Day” can understand how it might have happened. The plaque to be dedicated on Nov. 11–Veterans Day–came back with an inscription saying it was dedicated Memorial Day. But, no real harm done– Given that the permanent monument for the
JWV dedicates a temporary plaque at Miramar National Cemetery Read More »
Donald H. Harrison, Jewish HistoryBy Donald H. Harrison SAN DIEGO–Israel Inside: How a Small Nation Makes a Big Difference, a documentary that will premiere Nov. 29 on a Florida public broadcasting station, is being submitted to various outlets, including KPBS here in San Diego, for possible airing in March. The concept behind it, according to producer Raphael Shore, is
Documentary seeks to ‘rebrand’ Israel Read More »
Donald H. Harrison, Middle EastBy Donald H. Harrison SAN DIEGO — In an accompanying column, Rabbi Ben Kamin tells of the deaths of 61 homeless people on the streets of San Diego. He says “something has to be done” and he is right. I’d like to offer a proposal for consideration, but first let me offer some background. Recently,
Should there be homeless villages on college campuses? Read More »
Donald H. HarrisonBy Dorothea Shefer-Vanson MEVASSERET ZION, Israel — So once again British hooligans managed to disrupt a concert given by Israeli musicians in London, this time one given by the Israel Philharmonic Orchestra at the Proms last September. This follows a similar interruption of a performance by the Jerusalem Quartet at the Wigmore Hall earlier in
The cacaphony of Palestinian violence Read More »
Dorothea Shefer-Vanson, Middle East